Do you ALWAYS lock your coop at dusk?

[tiffanya]

I did until recently. I've stopped now because the chickens always want out earlier in the morning than I am up, though I'm betting this will change as the day light hours get shorter. I probably will begin again this winter as the weather gets colder. I would be nervous even though we have a pretty secure run if it weren't for my two 75+ pound dogs who are on alert all night.

 

[gwill23]

I don't always make it at dusk but I do lock up every night. If for some reason I can't do it they just get to stay in. Whey I am gone for a week I hang freash vegies from strings in the outer part of the coop for them to play with. Keeps them from picking on each other when they get board.

 

[kla37]

We live in the woods, and I have padlocks on the coop entrance and run entrance. I shut and lock them every night! Bad memories of raccoons learning how to use the latches on my bunny hutch when I was a kid. Those varmints are half-primate and seem to be able to figure everything out. The coop and run are totally enclosed in hardware cloth, including the bottom, and they have a ladder into their coop, which is always open to them.

 

[mmaddie's mom]

Shut securely... yes. Lock? nope. I don't even lock my house and the key is in the car.

 

[Dora'smom]

We lock both coops and the run every night. I wouldn't be able to sleep if they weren't secured. Lately, we have been locking them up after dark, and two days ago my husband and I went out with the dogs to lock things up. The dogs went crazy, and we saw a huge raccoon sitting in the neighbor's yard, watching two of our girls who had decided to sit out in the run. Yep. They are definitely locked up.

 

[lacasitarojafarm]

Quote:
Ditto Ditto Ditto.

Before we got the automatic door a weasel was getting in and we lost 11.

Then an eagle got two.

After the automatic door the only one that's been killed was a week ago when my husband was very worried due to a family issue, he forgot to lock the door that he goes through. 1 dead.

 

[gavinandallison]

If you use an automatic opener/closer, what if the chickens are not all inside? Are they locked out ?

 

[Illia]

Wow, I am one of 6 people who never lock their coop. . . .

And I'm even more of a daredevil by free ranging my birds. gasp!

But, never had any predator issues yet.

 

[inc123]

I used to lock up every night. But the coop is abut the house and has a 6 ft privacy fence on the other 3 sides. I live in town so not many predator animals other than my own dogs. In the winter, I will likely lock them back up because I enclose the coop part and use a chicken brooding light for heat- and to lengthen the day when they are so short. I do lock it up in severe weather too, in case they become frighten and try to fly off.

New chickens are always locked up at night and taught where to roost and all...

 

[AlbionWood]

Their yard is surrounded by deer fence with 2 hot wires on the outside, one about 4" high and the other about 18". Charger putting out 4,000 volts and I can tell you that it is VERY EFFECTIVE!!!

Yeeeouch!

I do worry a little about a weasel possibly sneaking under the wire, but it seems unlikely as it is about at nose-height. One little bump and they will go somewhere else for dinner! I have two cooops, one of them has a wire around it as well and I should add one to the other, that would make it extra-difficult for a weasel to get past.

I got this strategy from Robert Plamondon's website. Really like the way it works out so far.